A Little Less Sixteen Candles…
by melonkitty
Summary: Welcome. Come, read one of the most epic crossovers of all time... Vampires, Werewolves, Vampire Hunters, there is all... Come. Get lost in the throws of "A Little Less Sixteen Candles…" (Whole story finished and posted!)
1. Prologue

A Little Less Sixteen Candles…

By White Crow

Based off of Fall Out Boy's music video for "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More 'Touch Me'".

Prologue

There have always been mysteries of this world. As men, as humans, we have tried to solve them piece by piece. It never works out that way… Not easily, of course…

We have searched the deepest oceans for the kraken and scanned the skies for UFOs and the thunderbird but we have found nothing, even with our advancement in technology.

Could these things be real? If they are, are they smart enough to evade our searches?

One thing I know is for sure: there IS something out there.

I've seen it before. All of it. Cases of mysterious disappearances, mysterious death, and sightings of things we've only seen as pure myth and fantasy.

You may ask, how do I know? How do I know for certain of the things that are out there?

All I can say is that I'm not really sure.

But I have seen many things in my lifetime… Things like aliens, monsters, and even…

Vampires.

Yes, I have encountered those blood-sucking fiends before myself.

Maybe I should elaborate more on my story and my encounters with love, anger, pain, and even happiness.

And before I go any further, I ask you to close your eyes and erase all that is "realistic" in your mind for nothing I will tell you will be completely logical in our sense of "reality".

Now, I will start…

It all began in the year of 2008 under the stars of a city in the country of America…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Infestation

She walked down the dirty streets of Chicago, black heels scraping against the sidewalk. She hugged her black coat close to her body as another cold wind blew from behind her. She walked on, despite the looks from other people she was getting.

Two men saw her as an attention-grabber and followed her silently; subtly stalking her. The young woman turned a corner and they followed, eyes gleaming in excitement. One of the men gestured to two others and they closed in.

The woman had turned the corner to enter a small store and she soon came out and was instantly surrounded.

The first man, wearing a grimy sweatshirt and jeans with many rips and tears, grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her away from the store. The other followed closely, grinning savagely.

"Let… go… of me!" the woman protested while struggling.

"C'mon little lady…" the man said. "Don't you wanna have some fun?"

"We won't hurt you…" another said. "Much…"

"Phillips," the leader growled. "Take her by the head."

Phillips did so, taking her by the hair and exposing her bare neck. The leader grinned, baring his teeth and exposing white fangs.

The woman's mouth hung open in shock. This couldn't be happening…

The leader leaned forward, ready to take a bite when he felt something explode in his abdomen.

He looked up to see a sword planted through his abdomen. The steel sword with a gold handle rested in the hand of the woman. She then quickly turned around and slashed Phillips' head off.

The leader and Phillips fell to the ground instantly. The other two charged at the woman, fangs bared. The woman whipped around, throwing off her coat which blinded one as she decapitated the other. The remaining struggled with her coat until she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"Where are they?" she growled, her brown hair waving in the wind.

"Wh-who?" the vampire asked, shaking with fright.

"The old hunters of this town," she pressed. "What have your people done with them?"

"We did nothing!" the vampire insisted. "It wasn't my tribe!"

"Who was it?" the woman pressed. No answer. "WHO?" she asked loudly, pressing the edge of the sword to the vampire's neck.

"I-I dare not say…" the vampire said with a shiver. "They have ears everywhere… If they found out… If they were discovered, we'd all be dead… They'd kill my tribe and then try to find you next… I may live off of humans for food but… I don't wish their wrath upon anyone…"

"One last time…" she pressed. "Who was it?"

"I can't say!" he shrieked. "They'll kill me! They'll kill you! They'll kill everyone!"

The woman saw she was getting nowhere.

"Fine…" she sighed. "You get off this time…"

She turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Luke Magis sat at his computer, scanning all information on the city they were in, when she walked in.

"Well, Catheryne, how did it go?" he asked.

She was silent and walked off into another hall. The sound of glass breaking could be heard.

"That bad, huh…?" Luke sighed.

"She'll cool off in a few," Kiernyn Calrain reassured him. "She's just frustrated."

"What's so important about being here anyways?" Luke asked. "This whole thing has gotten her tied into knots…"

"Her old friends went missing here…" Kiernyn said. "They were hunters like us."

Hunters… That was right. Luke thought back to when Catheryne first found him. He was from a different world, galaxies away from Earth. His home world had been the root of war and villainy until he had formed a rebellion with a few others of his kind. With victory, he and a small squadron of people set out to catch the fleeing villains when he was shot, sent rocketing into the rest of space. In that way, he came across Earth and crash-landed there, hoping to find help.

Instead of help, he ran into evil beings that thirsted for his blood. That's when she came, killing them all off and saving his hide. Catheryne brought him back to her shabby little base in a town outside of Chicago and he became part of her team of hunters. They hunted things like vampires so that mankind could be safe from their blood-thirsty cravings.

"So… what about these hunters?" Luke asked.

"They were old friends of hers," Kiernyn explained. "All hunters have met each other at least once. They lived in New York for a while and were always fighting off vampires. Then one night they went to do some 'exterminating' and never came back. She's been very worried."

"I can see…" Luke said. "Do we have any leads?"

"Don't ask me," Kiernyn said, rolling her eyes. "She's the one out on duty."

"I think she might need to be alone for now…" Luke said with a grimace, looking warily at the hall where Catheryne has gone.

"Chicken." Kiernyn teased.

"I am not-"

"BWRAAAK!" she flapped her arms. "Chicken!"

"Fine!" Luke spat. "I'm going! Damn!"

He got up from his seat and walked down the hall and turned the corner, entering the room Catheryne was in. She lay on the bed, her brown hair fanned out below her and her dark suit wrinkled from the tussle she was in earlier.

"Hey…" Luke greeted awkwardly, stepping in. "Did you… find anything out?"

Catheryne slowly turned her head towards him and stared at him blankly. Then she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Almost near to nothing," she grunted grumpily.

"But that means something, right?" Luke asked, sitting next to her.

"I interrogated one of the gangsters," she responded. The vampires of the towns were split up into cliques, like normal humans. There were gangsters, punks, and many more. "He knew who had a hand in those hunters' disappearances but he wouldn't say who."

"Were they vampires?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Catheryne said. "But I don't know what group they were in. Apparently, they are formidable foes for that one vampire wouldn't mention their name in fear of being killed…"

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" Luke said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But it'll have to wait. You need rest and you stressing out over everything won't give you a clear enough mind if we encounter these mysterious vampires."

"You're right…" she sighed. "But tomorrow, I'm starting again…"

"Okay…" Luke said softly, getting up. "But at least you'll get some rest before then."

"Mmm-hmm…" she murmured, lying down beneath the covers.

"Goodnight," Luke whispered, smiling softly and exited the room silently.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Interrogation

Luke cracked open his eyes against the bright sunlight that barely beamed through the cracks in his drafty room. The plastered walls were cracked and the paint, or the remainder of it, was chipped. There was a leak in the ceiling and the bed was hard. But it was home.

He got up and put on a fresh set of clothes then stepped out to make some breakfast. No one else was in the room but someone had left out a box of cereal. Catheryne must have gotten out already for her usual morning exercises. She always did a set of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and jogged along a trail in the back of town.

Luke picked up the box of cereal and poured some of the contents into the bowl. He grabbed a jug of milk and poured it in with the cereal. He ate it fast, wanting to avoid soggy bits, then placed the bowl in the sink just as Kiernyn walked in.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Mornin'…" she grumbled, getting some cereal of her own. "Catheryne's out, I suppose?"

"Yep…" Luke responded.

"I'm surprised she's still out," Kiernyn responded as she ate. "She gets up at five and usually is done by six. It's seven now…"

Luke looked at the clock.

"She's not obsessing, is she?" he asked.

"You should've seen her in high school…" was all Kiernyn said.

Luke sighed and got up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Kiernyn asked him.

"I'm going to find her…" he responded. "She'll get herself into trouble before we know it… I'll take the Indian…"

"Suit yourself…" she said. "But knowing her, she doesn't give up easily."

Luke snorted and walked out the door of their little cabin, if you could call it that. He mounted a 1940 Indian motorcycle and drove off, using the Force to trace Catheryne's presence. She wasn't anywhere near him but he sensed her in the city. The engines roared as he sped off to Chicago.

She was walking down the street, looking deep in the shadows of dead-end walk-ways along the crowded streets of the Illinois city. She saw only a few people; maybe vampires, maybe just regular people with no homes or money. Catheryne looked deep into one crevice, seeing one punk-looking man who was hiding in the shadows.

"There you are!" a voice from behind her.

Catheryne turned and saw Luke standing behind her, wheeling a motorcycle next to him.

"I've been looking for you!" he said. "You're little Miss Obsessive-compulsive, aren't you?"

"I just need to know…" she responded.

"They don't come out during the day…"

"Today's forecast calls for a cloudy day, Magis," she said huffily. "I thought I might have a chance for information."

"And that gives you an excuse to wander around Chicago with no one knowing where the stang you are or what you're doing?" Luke asked angrily. "You could get killed out here. You shouldn't be alone."

"I can handle myself," she insisted roughly.

"I'm worried about you," he said huffed. "You could get yourself killed… or worse. Please, don't do this alone."

Catheryne blushed at the comment, knowing that he cared in some way.

"Well, maybe if you would just-" she stuttered before stopping. "Look out!"

Luke ducked while grabbing her in her arms as the punk vampire dove for them. The vampire flew over their heads and landed on all fours with cat-like grace.

As they faced their adversary, the pair noticed that no one else populated the streets. The vampires must have induced a mental message for all of them to do something else; there could be no witnesses.

The vampire got into a low-crouch and moved slowly toward the two. Luke put himself protectively between the vampire and Catheryne and readied himself for a fight. The vampire leapt hungrily at him but Luke stopped him with the Force, leaving the vampire in mid-air. He then threw his opponent into the dark alleyway and approached the alley with caution.

Catheryne had more headstrong ways of dealing with the situation. As Luke crept forward, she rushed into the alleyway, found the vampire, and pinned him against the wall. Luke instantly ran after her, crying a warning.

"Where are they?" she asked roughly.

"Who the 'ell are you talking about?" the vampire asked with a sour bite in his voice.

"The hunters," Catheryne said, breathing hardly. "The ones who kept you in check. What happened to them?"

"The 'unters…" the vampire growled thoughtfully. "I remember them… Four, all male?" Catheryne nodded. "Yes… I know what happened…"

"Tell me." she pressed. "NOW."

"Easy, easy… Keep your pants on, geez…" he growled. "There was this scuffle about a week ago… Me and my buds, we were hungry and we went hunting… But we went onto McCoy's territory… Nasty vampires… All gangsters… Well, we threw a few punches here and there and…"

"And the hunters?"

"They came soon but not before they came…"

"They?" Luke asked. "Who's 'they'?"

The vampire looked around cautiously and spoke to them again, this time lowering his voice.

"The Dandies," he said. "They dress like English gentlemen but don't let the tailored suits fool you… They're the nastiest of the groups here. They have eyes and ears everywhere."

"What's their connection with the hunters?" Catheryne asked.

"After a fight broke out, the Dandies arrived," he responded. "They laid ruin to most of us and then the hunters arrived to save the humans that were going to be our dinner. Long story short, there was a big fight and the hunters were arrested."

"Arrested?" Luke asked, confused.

"Yes…" the vampire chuckled until Catheryne shot him a dark glare. "They were arrested. But it was all a trap. All William's doing… He arranged for the police vampires to show up."

"William?"

"The leader of the Dandies…" the vampire answered. "He's the nastiest of 'em all…"

"What happened to the hunters?" Catheryne asked harshly.

"It's possible that the Dandies have them locked in their manor on the outskirts of the city…" he responded. "I can't tell ya anymore… I won't risk getting everyone in my clan slaughtered."

"Thank you…" Catheryne breathed hardly, letting go of the vampire and turning to leave with Luke.

"What? No reward?!" the vampire complained loudly.

"You get to keep your life, how's that?" Catheryne called back to him.

There was no answer and the two assumed that the vampire decided not to argue against that.

"You're insane!" Kiernyn scolded. "You're going to barge into a mansion full of vampires all by yourself just for four men who might have already been killed, turned, or used for a midnight snack?"

"There's still a chance," Catheryne responded. "Besides, we'll have contact by radio. I'll be fine."

"I still don't like it…"

"Luke'll have my back," Catheryne reassured her, gathering her supplies to kick vampire butt.

"Luke's coming with you?" Kiernyn asked, surprised.

"He didn't want me to go alone," Catheryne said. "And I won't… this time. I won't be much help to the guys if I get killed."

"Fine…" Kiernyn sighed after a pause. "But be careful."

"I will," Catheryne responded calmly. "I'm not dead yet, am I?" With that, she walked out of the room and to where Luke was waiting.

"Not yet…" Kiernyn sighed and followed her.

He sat in a corner, his eyes closed and his long, curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in black slacks and a fancy white long-sleeved shirt that, in the present, you could only see in movies set in the 1700's or so. He breathed in deeply then opened his eyes. He rose and stood near the door, waiting.

"Michael…" he called his voice soft but somehow echoing through the entire building.

A man ran into the room. He was dressed just like the one who had called but he was wearing a clean, white suit over everything else along with a Derby hat. His shoulder-length brown hair fell over his shoulders as he bowed.

"Yes, sir? What is it?" he asked.

"Prepare the household for some guests, Mr. Carden," the other man, obviously the superior. "But don't attack until I give the word. I want to see how they work."

"Yes, Master Beckett," Michael (or Mike as his friends called him) said with another bow then exited.

William Beckett, leader of the Dandies, smiled as he slipped on his ermine-lined coat and shook his hair out of his ponytail.

"This shall be very interesting…" he muttered and placed his Derby hat on his head.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

To Spring a Bird from its Cage

Catheryne lurked outside of the manor with Luke at her side. They were both wearing tight black suits. She had many vampire-repelling and vampire-killing objects at her side and he had his lightsaber.

"Do you know where they could be?" Luke asked her.

"Probably on the lower levels of the mansion," Catheryne responded. "There'll probably be a basement… or a dungeon… where they might have hidden them away."

"Got it… How do we get down there?"

"I'll work it out as I go."

"Translation: 'I have no stinking idea'?"

"Exactly."

They both made their way across the courtyard, creeping silently in the bushes. It was past sunset so the vampires were definitely up already which would make things a tad more difficult.

After long grueling minutes of trying to move silently yet always seeming to make a sound no matter what, they arrived at a small window that was low to the ground.

"That's the basement, I betting," Luke said.

Catheryne pushed open the window and silently slipped through, hitting the ground with cat-like grace. Luke managed to get through perfectly but ended up hitting the ground with a loud thump.

"Quiet!" Catheryne hissed. "We don't need anyone finding us now!"

"Hey! Who's there?!" a voice shouted.

Catheryne cursed loudly and brandished a stake and her sword. Luke stood next to her and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt.

"You better answer me before I give you a sound whipping!" the voice yelled.

"Don't say anything…" Catheryne muttered to Luke. "Let him come to you…"

"What was that?" the voice asked. "Don't make me come over there! If I come over there, I'll-"

"Andy, shut up…" another voice muttered. "You can't do anything to anyone in here…"

"He's right," a third voice admitted, sadly. "As long as we're locked up, we can't get head-strong…"

"Is that who I think it is?" Catheryne gasped and headed over to the source of the voices.

She pushed her way through all sorts of rubble and eventually came to a hallway. She walked along the hallway until she came to a cell which had four men in it.

"Guys, is that you?" she asked.

"Eh?" one asked, looking over at her. Then realization came to his face. "Catheryne! What're you doing here?"

"Getting you out," she said, fishing for her lock-picker. "Hold tight for a sec…"

"Who're they?" Luke asked, coming up.

"Old friends," Catheryne replied, finding the pick and putting it in the lock. "Told you I'd find them."

"Who's this?" one of the men, Andy by the sound of his voice, asked.

"Luke Magis," Catheryne responded. "He's a friend of mine."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend…" a man with blonde-brown hair with thick side-burns teased.

"Can it, Patrick," Catheryne growled. "Want me to get you out or not?"

"Out would be nice."

"There…" Catheryne sighed, pulling the pick from the lock. "Done. You can come out now."

The cell door swung out and the men filed out. Luke already knew two as Patrick and Andy but he did not know the names of the other two.

"Luke, this is Patrick and Andy," Catheryne introduced the first two then gestured at the other two. "And this is Pete and Joe."

"Nice to meet you," Luke said, shaking Andy, Joe, and Patrick's hands. He offered his hand to Pete who ignored the gesture.

"I'm surprised you came here," Joe said to Catheryne. "We didn't think anyone knew we had disappeared…"

"I tried contacting you 'cause I was in the area," Catheryne explained. "I wanted to find you and catch up on old times, ya know? But I couldn't find you. I then slowly heard more and more about the night you disappeared and well… I decided to take action."

"You could've gotten yourself killed," Pete growled.

"Now we have to get out of here…" Catheryne said, ignoring Pete's comment. "I found a window back there that we can climb out of… Come on…"

William sat in his room, drinking a cup of tea.

"How are our guests faring, Michael?" he asked his right-hand man.

"The woman and the man have released the hunters," Mike responded. "They are about to escape from the mansion, sir."

"Do they know we're watching?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Perfect," William said in a silky-smooth voice, taking a sip of his chamomile tea. "Send Gabe and Alex down there and have them lock the window. Let's make this a little more interesting…"

The group of six vampire hunters eventually made their way to the back of the room and Luke boosted up Catheryne to the window to open it. She pushed on it as hard as she could yet it wouldn't open. Unbeknownst to the hunters, two Dandy vampires sat outside the windows laughing their butts off.

"I can't get it open…" Catheryne grumbled. "We're going to find another way out."

"What other way is there?" Luke asked, as he lowered her down.

"The front door," Andy said simply.

Everyone, except Pete (who didn't seem to have a sense of humor at the moment) and Andy himself, started to laugh uncontrollably.

"I'm serious…" Andy said.

"Oh damn…" Patrick sighed. "We're dead."

"We might as well try for it," Catheryne sighed. "It'll be our best chance."

"What about all the other exits?" Joe asked.

"The front door gets us to the front of the mansion where we can get access to our car a whole lot faster."

"Oh… That makes sense…"

"This way," Pete grumbled and made his way back to the front where a stair-well was waiting.

"What's with him?" Catheryne asked Patrick as they climbed up the stairs.

"He's… just had a rough time," Patrick replied. "I'll fill you in later…"

"They're heading for the front door, sir," Mike said.

"Send down some of our boys," William said, draining his tea cup. "We'll make this into a real show…"

"Yes sir…" Mike said, turning to leave.

"And one more thing," William said. "Send down only three. Tell them to wait for me."

"Yes sir…" he turned to leave again.

"And send down Brendon as one of the three," William added. "He's good in a fight…"

Mike turned to leave and…

"And Michael…"

"Yes sir?"

"Take this cup away please and bring up a new one as soon as I'm done handling the escapees."

"Yes sir."

Catheryne was actually feeling pretty confident by the time they reached the foyer. No vampires had crossed their path yet and they were just inches away from the door. She gestured to the group behind her to follow her.

"Wait," Pete said, catching her arm as she tried to move forward. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"He's right," Patrick admitted. "This is too easy."

Catheryne nodded and went across the room slowly. She gestured to the others and they followed slowly and silently.

"Everything's fine-" she said or at least started to say when something knocked her over and pinned her to the ground.

Mike sat on a ledge above the staircase, watching the small group of hunters near the foyer. They didn't suspect a thing.

"When's William gonna get here?" Alex asked from Mike's left. "I'm getting hungry…"

"He'll be here soon," Mike assured him. "We're not starting without him."

"He's right," Brendon said from Mike's right. "The boss doesn't want to miss the show."

Alex and Brendon shared a good chuckle and Mike shushed them.

"Don't give away our position," he hissed.

"You know, when William gets here," Alex said, changing the subject. "I'm going to sink my teeth into that new guy."

"The one in the black?" Brendon asked.

"Yeah…" Alex chuckled. "I can just smell the blood from here…"

"I'll think I'll take the girl," Brendon said, licking his lips. "Her scent is just so…" he breathed in deeply. "I just can't sum it up in words…"

"Always the ladies' man, Brendon…" Mike chuckled.

"It's good you're planning ahead," William said from behind them, walking across the ceiling to sit next to Mike.

"Good evening sir…" Brendon said, bowing as far as his body could allow while sitting.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Alex said. "Can we eat? I'm starving!"

"Wait until I give the word, Alexander," William muttered as the woman crossed the foyer. "Ah, Brendon, there's your target. If you don't mind, shall you start this off for us?"

"It'd be a pleasure," Brendon chuckled and jumped off of his perch, colliding with the woman seconds later.

"Excellent…" William muttered and slinked off towards the top of the stairwell.

Catheryne cried out as the vampire collided with her. He had her on her stomach and she couldn't see his face but she could see Pete approach and fast.

Pete ran up to Brendon and hissed loudly, baring his fangs. Brendon immediately backed off in a low crouch, hissing all the while. Pete bent down to help Catheryne and placed himself protectively in front of her as Brendon ran back to the staircase in a blink of the eye.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, running up to her.

"I'm fine," Catheryne breathed. "He just startled me… That's all…"

"Good evening, Peter," a lanky man at the head of the staircase said.

Pete said nothing and glared daggers at him.

"Who's this?" Luke asked the hunters.

"The name's William Beckett," the man said. "I am the head of this household. I couldn't help but see how rudely you burst into my humble home. If you wanted something, you could have just asked."

"And get our throats ripped out by ravenous vampires?" Catheryne retorted. "No thanks."

"I don't wish to play dirty so I will ask nicely once," William purred then his voice turned into a threatening growl. "Leave now but please return them to where they were before. We probably won't have any trouble afterwards."

"Over my dead body," Catheryne spat.

"Fine," William sighed in false dismay. "I didn't want it to come to this, but I'm afraid I'll have to use force…"

On cue, Mike and Alex dove down from the rafters and landed softly, immediately rushing in for the kill once touching the ground. Brendon rushed back out from the staircase and joined in. The hunters fought back roughly even with the lack of weapons and Luke telekinesis to throw any approaching enemies away. Pete and the others fought hand-to-hand as Catheryne brandished her sword.

After holding them off for what felt like hours, the group of six had slowly backed towards the front door. The vampires had unintentionally herded them to their exit.

"Magis, we have a clear way to the exit," Catheryne said softly to Luke. "Get them out of here while I hold off the vampires."

Luke nodded and spread the word to the others, who then clustered up and began backing up more. Catheryne held the vampires off well, slicing at skin and clothes. At times, the vampires dove for the group who either dealt with them or were saved by Catheryne intervening. This clean, neat act didn't last for long for William noticed it all and shouted at the three other vampires to deal with them immediately.

"OUT!" Catheryne cried, rushing everyone to the door. "Get out, now!"

The three vampires instantly dived at them, ready to rip everyone to pieces if they had to. Most of the hunters had filed out and were rushing to the car as fast as they could. Catheryne turned to run out the doorway when something collided with her, knocking her flat on her back. She looked up to see one of the vampires, Brendon, sitting on top of her. His pale face stood out against his forest green suit and his mouth was twisted in a vicious snarl, his fangs fully exposed.

On instinct, Catheryne was about to reach up and throw him off but something stopped her. There was a strange feeling in her bones as if something was familiar. He must have sensed it too for his snarl turned into an expression of confusion which then turned to realization.

"I know you…" Brendon whispered, his brown eyes revealing some familiarity.

Catheryne opened her mouth to speak but then Brendon leapt back, hissing madly. Catheryne then found she was being helped up by Luke and Pete was fending the vampires off. They turned and ran to the car where the others were waiting. Luke leapt into the driver's seat and hit the gas so that they sped off into the night.

The vampires followed but stopped at the end of the driveway. They stood there and Alex threw his hat on the ground and cursed.

"There goes a good meal!" he grumbled.

"There's still food in the city, gentlemen," William said calmly, approaching them. "Better luck next time. Besides, they don't even know we're watching. We'll get them in due time. Now, go have a… lunch break."

Alex chuckled darkly and slinked off to find someone to eat. William walked away with a dignified stride back to the manor. Only Mike and Brendon remained, the latter staring in the direction of where the car's headlights had vanished.

"Something the matter?" Mike asked his second-in-command.

"No," Brendon said, keeping his gaze on the road. "You can head off without me… I'll catch up with you later."

"Suit yourself," Mike said with a shrug and walked off.

Brendon stood there until he was sure no one else was there then he went out the gate and started running down the road going the same direction the hunters had gone.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Memory from the Past

"That was close…" Luke breathed, getting out of the car.

The group, still frazzled and hyped up on adrenaline, stumbled out of the car and into the warehouse that was used for a home and a headquarters.

"I see you made it back," Kiernyn greeted them. "And you accomplished your goal… How was it?" There was only silence. "That bad, huh?"

"Well… It wasn't TOO bad…" Catheryne admitted as Luke grabbed a beer. "They saw us and we fought them, etc. We just didn't pull it off without being seen, ya know."

"So going in and out silently didn't work?"

"Not at all," Luke responded. "We had some technical difficulties… They knew our every move."

"Because they were watching us," Pete grumbled from a corner. "William must have known about it all along…"

"Hey, this is our warehouse…" Patrick said abruptly.

"We found it while we were moving out here," Catheryne said. "Kind of weird that you guys used to live here…"

"Kinda crazy once ya think about it…" Andy said, swiping Luke's beer from him before the psychic was able to take a drink.

Luke glared at him then went back to the fridge to get another.

"They'll probably be looking for us," Pete said. "It's only a matter of time before they realize where we are…"

"Geez, Pete," Catheryne snorted. "Be optimistic every once in a while…"

Pete glared at her.

"This is serious," he said.

"Relax, they don't know where we are," Catheryne said calmly, perching on the table. "Besides, why would they come to find us anyways?"

"Why would they want us captured?" Patrick asked, grabbing the beer from Luke, who sighed and went to the fridge again. "We obviously mean something to them, don't forget that."

"You guys are hunters," Catheryne sighed. "They just want us hunters dead. They were probably going to kill you or eat you eventually."

"No, they wanted something from us," Joe insisted and Pete shot him a dirty glare. "We're important to them."

"Why?" Catheryne asked, folding her arms across her chest.

The four men were quiet for the longest time.

"Not now," Pete grunted and walked out into the other room.

"Fine," Catheryne grumbled and walked off. "I needed to use the bathroom anyways…"

She stormed down the hall and went into the bathroom, slamming the door and latching it tightly.

"Stupid, son of a-"

"You look pretty when you're mad…"

Catheryne gasped and turned quickly, seeing a young man sitting on the counter. He had ebony hair and deep brown eyes, like the shade of brown you'd see in your mug of hot chocolate. Not only had his sudden appearance frightened her, Catheryne was also shocked to know that this was one of the Dandies.

She raced to the door and grabbed the handle roughly, trying to yank the door open which it didn't. She then remembered it was locked and fumbled with it until the vampire had grabbed her from behind. His gloved hand was clamped over her mouth and he held her close.

"Be calm," he whispered. "You don't have to worry. I won't hurt you."

"Yeah, that's what they all say before they kill you or suck you dry," Catheryne spat, freeing her mouth from his hand. "Get the hell off of me, you son of a- HE-"

He clamped his hand over her mouth again.

"Just listen to me," he insisted roughly as she struggled. "I promise I won't hurt you… I just want to talk. I recognized you… And I got curious."

At these words, Catheryne stopped struggling and looked up at him.

"And you recognized me too, as I can see…" he continued and let go of her. "You're free to go now but I see you're willing to listen… Unless that's a trick. It won't matter if you call your hunter-buddies. I'll be gone before they get here and that will deprive you of answers. Maybe we can start with names."

"Okay then," Catheryne said. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Brendon," he said with a dazzling smile. "And yours?"

"Catheryne…" she snorted.

"I think I know you…" Brendon said, realization sparking in his eyes. "Do you remember high school? Did you have any boyfriends?"

"I did have one…" Catheryne said softly. "We dated since sophomore year but we had to break up once he went to college out of state… Why do you want to know anyways?!"

"What was his name?" Brendon asked, ignoring her question.

"Do you need to know?" Catheryne asked angrily, turning away from him. Brendon nodded. "Fine. His name was B-"

She looked back at him, suddenly realizing something.

"I had to move to Chicago for college…" Brendon said absent-mindedly, looking at the floor. "I had to break up with her… I never did finish college…"

Catheryne walked over to him, shock on her face.

"I can't believe it…" she muttered.

"Her name was Catheryne…" Brendon said, looking up at her.

"Brendon?" she asked.

He nodded, his brown eyes boring into her emerald ones.

"I-I can't believe it…" she gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Chicago's more dangerous than I thought it would be," Brendon said with a small chuckle. "I was reckless and stupid one night and this is what happened. I didn't think I'd see you again though…"

"Y-you have to tell me everything…" Catheryne insisted. "Please…"

"I will, don't worry," Brendon said softly then his head jerked up, facing towards the door. "But I have to leave… One of your friends knows I'm here and the others are probably wondering where I am anyways… I'll tell you later…"

His icy lips touched her cheek gently and he was suddenly gone, running off at speeds the human mind cannot comprehend. Right then, Pete and Patrick burst through the door, the latter holding a gun. Pete looked at Catheryne then examined the entire room. He reached the counter and glared at the surface where Brendon was sitting minutes before.

"What are you doing?!" Catheryne asked.

"I sensed him…" Pete said, looking around the room. "Someone was here… It was a Dandy…"

"I didn't see anyone at all," Catheryne insisted, remembering the acting lessons she had taken in her high school drama class. "No one was here."

"That's what you think," Pete grumbled. "They can hide… and well. They're masters of disguise… Never let a Dandy fool you…"

"Wait a second," Catheryne said. "How would you know if there was a Dandy in here or not? And, might I add, you still haven't told me why they are after you."

Pete looked at Patrick, who nodded.

"C'mon…" Pete growled and grabbed Catheryne by her arm, dragging her to the living room.

He sat her on the couch next to Luke, who had given up on getting a drink that night. The others were seated as well, discussing their best tactics to get rid of a vampire infestation. Pete sat in the middle of the room and everyone looked up when the three had made their entrance.

"What's this…?" Kiernyn asked slowly.

"I'm going to tell you why the Dandies want us so bad," Pete said. "I'm fessing up and…" he looked at Catheryne. "You'll probably butt out after this. The Dandies captured us because William wants us. He wants me, actually. I've been resisting him since I first met him."

"For crying out loud," Catheryne huffed. "Get to it…"

"He wants me," Pete continued, glaring at her. "Because I'm a vampire. He turned me."

The room was silent and the three others just stared at him.

"I-I don't thirst…" Pete said. "Patrick created a mixture for me that keeps me in line."

"When did this happen?" Luke asked.

"We had just started in this city when it happened," Andy said. "We had only been in for a couple of weeks… We had already fought off a few vampire gangs and we were getting cocky and we started to celebrate…"

"And we were stupid and we let our guard down," Pete continued for him. "And I let him get to me."

"We found Pete in the morning," Patrick continued. "We had just recovered from drinking too much and we thought that he had wandered out into the street and just crashed. We then noticed that he'd been bitten…"

"We didn't know what to do then," Joe sighed. "At that time, we only had two choices: Kill him or keep him alive. We couldn't kill our friend though… Lucky for us, he was calm at first; not quite thirsty yet…"

"Then Patrick came up with something to help," Pete said. "After that, hunting went back to normal… In a ways… I had to sleep during the day and drink that mixture every once in a while but everything was somewhat normal…"

"Of course he's been just dying to get his hands on William…" Patrick said. "He just wants to kill him and maybe a few other Dandies… And after our last run-in with William, he's wanted to tear that guy's throat out…"

"But it was a trap," Pete sighed. "And we fell for it. Now, he won't stop at anything to get his hands on me and make me an official member."

There was silence as it all sunk in.

"Well…" Kiernyn said, breaking the silence. "It's getting late. I guess you'll have to make that mixture thingy while the rest of us go to bed. I suppose your… coffin thing is still here so you can get rest in the morning. Goodnight…"

"Night…" Luke yawned and walked away with her.

The other four went to turn in while Pete got up to the make-shift kitchen.

Silence fell over the warehouse for the rest of the night and everyone slept soundly except for Pete (obviously) and Catheryne, who was lying awake; thinking about Brendon.

What happened?


End file.
